Fishhook caddy

ABSTRACT

A buoyant caddy expressly designed and adapted to serve an angler and to place at his disposal a plurality of loose fishhooks, snelled hooks, and at least one encased and shielded hookequipped plug or an equivalent lure and to maintain the same systematically oriented and readily accessible and without fear of injuring himself or losing such accessories. The caddy comprises, generally stated, a pair of sleeves having adjacent inner ends telescopingly but separably connected and equipped with facilities to achieve the multipurpose result desired.

United States Patent Alotta 1 1 Jan. 30, 1973 541 FISHHOOK CADDY 1,451,295 4/1923 Driver et al ..43/57.5 R

76 Inventor: Renard M. Alotta, 2418 Philli s l 1 Road, Casteton, NY. 12033 p Primary Examzrter-Russell R. Kmsey I Assistant Exammer-James H. Czerwonky [22] Filed: Feb. 23, 1971 Attorney-Clarence A. OBrien and Harvey B. Jacob- Appl. No.: 117,972

[57] ABSTRACT A buoyant caddy expressly designed and adapted to serve an angler and to place at his disposal a plurality of loose fish-hooks, snelled hooks, and at least one encased and shielded hook-equipped plug or an equivalent lure and to maintain the same systematically oriented and readily accessible and without fear of injuring himself or losing such accessories. The caddy comprises, generally stated, a pair of sleeves having adjacent inner ends telescopingly but separably connected and equipped with facilities to achieve the multipurpose result desired.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAItNTinmao ms 22 Renard M. A/atfa 1x VENTOR.

FISHI-IOOK CADDY The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a holder for a plurality of selectively usable angling accessories and has to do with an adaptation which is herein classified as a multipurpose caddy, that is, a single device having self-contained facilities for maintaining and storing loose fishhooks, snelled hooks and at least one lure in a manner to effectually and satisfactorily serve the needs of the user.

Anglers accessory holding and carrying kits, boxes and holders are old and well known and are usually such in construction and adaptability that they serve the purposes for which they have been devised and are in common use. Many patents have been granted to those who are conversant with developments in this field of endeavor. For background purposes the reader, if so desired, may refer to the trout fly, hook and leader box of Timothy OLeary US. Pat. No. 899,466; the safety fishhook holder of Frank Woodhead U.S. Pat. No. 2,629,200; and William F. Andersons multiple snell holder U.S. Pat. No. 2,525,057. These patents are mentioned here to reveal that it is common in this tiled of endeavor to offer for use readily portable and compact devices which serve as holders for fishhooks, plugs, snells and the like.

An object of the present invention is to also offer a contribution to the art which, it is submitted, is possessed of advantageous features and can and will serve the purposes of anglers who desire to carry a limited supply of accessories in readiness for use, without fear of misplacing or losing the same and who desire to have ready and convenient as well as safe access to the same whenever necessary or desired.

Briefly the device disclosed is conveniently designated as a multipurpose caddy and comprises novel sleeve means, more particularly, a first or main sleeve having upper and lower openable ends, a manually attachable and detachable closure which is carried by and normally covers the lower end and which is cooperable with a second sleeve which is also open-ended and is aligned with and has an inward end portion telescopingly connected with a co-acting adjacent or upper end of the first sleeve and serves as a manually applicable and removable closure for the upper end of the first sleeve. The hollow portion of the first sleeve provides a lure receiving, storing and safeguarding plug container. It is equipped with means, including the aforementioned attachable and detachable closure, for supporting and safely storing readily accessible snell hooks. The second sleeve is also provided with complemental means for the attachment and retention of a plurality of loose fishhooks, that is, fishhooks which are accessibly held for ready selective use.

More specifically the first sleeve is relatively long and the closure at the bottom has a part which is plugged into the lower end. This closure has an outstanding marginal rim portion which is provided with radial circumferentially spaced slits, that is, slits which are adapted to receive and retain looped end portions of the leaders of snell hooks. The upper end of the sleeve has kerfs or keeper slots for the hook equipped ends of the snells. The hollow portion serves to accommodate and shield an insertable and removable plug or lure. It also has other purposes to be hereinafter described. The complemental shorter sleeve is equipped with a cork for the attachment thereto of loose hooks and is also interiorly provided with a divider which supports the legs or arms of a U-shaped yoke, more explicitly, a yoke with which an elastic band is connected to yieldingly retain the two sleeves in telescoping but separable relationship.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective on a small scale showing the overall ready-to-use multipurpose fishhook caddy.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view with parts appearing in section and elevation and which is taken on the plane of the vertical section line 22 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the indicating arrows.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross sectional views taken on the horizontal lines 3-3 and 44 respectively of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a detailed section taken approximately on the plane of the section line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the various views of the drawing the aforementioned sleeve means comprises a pair of companion or complemental sleeves; namely, a main elongated cylindrical or equivalent sleeve 8 and a somewhat shorter companion or auxiliary sleeve 10. These sleeves can be made of aluminum or, if preferred, moldable plastic materials which have been found, as a result of usage, to be suitable for the purposes desired. In fact, the sleeves can be made of transparent colorful plastic materials. The openable and closable lower end for the main sleeve 8 is denoted at 12 and is provided with attachable and detachable closure means 14. This closure means can be a one piece plastic article comprising a main closing disk 16 the central portion of which is provided with a plug 18 which is fitted telescopingly into the end portion 12. The disk-like body portion of this part is of a diameter that the rim portion 20 projects beyond the peripheral surface of the sleeve or tube 8, said portion being provided with radial circumferential slots 22, that is, slots which open through the outer marginal edge and serve as retainers for end portions 24 of leaders 26 of conventional hook-equipped snells 28. The looped ends 30 of the leaders extend below the slotted rim. The books 32 on the upper ends are removably seated in keeper notches or kerfs 34 which are formed in the upper edge portion 36 of this main sleeve. On one side, at an intermediate point, attaching means for the sleeve is provided, that is, a safety pin type fastener 38 is provided and so arranged that the entire device can be fastened on the anglers clothing (not shown). With further respect to the closure means 14 it will be noted that the central exterior part is provided with an ornamental cap 40 which is glued or otherwise fastened in place. The plug 18 and disk 16 are provided with a hole for passage of a knotted end portion 42 of an elastic tensioned band 44 which serves a purpose to be further described. In addition to providing notches 34 for the hooks 32 and slits for the leader portions 24 an elastic O ring 46 is provided and surrounds the exterior of the sleeve and serves to position and retain the median portions of the leaders of the several snelled hooks 28.

With respect now to'the shorter campanion sleeve it will be noted that the lower end portion 48 is such in diameter that it telescopingly receives the notched upper end portion of the main sleeve. In addition the upper end part of this sleeve, that is part 50, is cooperable with a divider or disk 52 which is lodged in the intermediate portion of the sleeve and which divides the sleeve into upper and lower half-portions. The upper half-portion serves as a receiver for the cooperating part of a cork insert 54. This cork insert obviously serves to accommodate the barbed bill portions 56 of the aforementioned loose fishhooks. Elastic bands 58 can be provided in a manner to surround the shanks of the hooks and to assist in keeping the same in place. It will be further noted in FIG. 1 that the cork can be provided on one side with a radial slot 60 which allows for positioning and retention of a rod 62 which is positioned in a central opening in the divider 52 and which has a portion passing through the bore of the cork. The upper end of this rod is fashioned into a finger ring 64 so that the rod 62 can be moved up or down in conjunction with the divider and the cork in the manner suggested in full and phantom lines in FIG. 2. The lower end portion of this rod extends into the hollow portion of the first named sleeve where it serves to supportively retain hooks on a fishing lure, for example, a plug 66 which has hooks 68 at the upper end engaged with the hanger hooks on the lower end of the rod 62 (FIG. 2). Thus, the hollow portion of the sleeve 8 serves as a storage container for the fish lure 66. This hollow container portion also serves to accommodate a slidingly mounted U-shaped yoke 70. The yoke has a bight portion 72 (FIG. 2) to which the upper end of the aforementioned elastic band 44 is connected. The arms 74 of the yoke are anchored on the divider or partition 52 in the manner shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the assembly forming the closure for the upper end of the lower sleeve comprises the sleeve 10 provided with the divider 52 carrying the depending U-shaped yoke and also carrying the cork S4 for the aforementioned loose fishhooks 56. It follows that with the two sleeves assembled as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 a ready-to-use portable holder or carrier is provided. By lifting the finger ring 64 and rod 62 with the rod attached to the divider it will be evident that the sleeve 10 can be disengaged from the slotted end of the lower sleeve 8. This detachment of the sleeve 10 (which in effect is a closure for the upper end of the sleeve 8) serves to place the elastic band 44 under tension and hence when the finger ring "is released, the 'tensioned band returns sleeve 10 to its coupled position atop the upper slotted end of sleeve 8. In fact, it is necessary to lift the sleeve 10 in order to expose the upper ends of the keeper slots 34 with a view toward releasing the hooks 32 of the snells 28. It is evident therefore that this sleeve means constitutes the nucleus of the over-all adaptation and offers for use an innovation for storing and carrying,

that is with requisite safety, loosefishhooks 56, snells 28 and at least one enclosed and shielded plug or lure It is to be added that the aforementioned cork 54 is replaceable if after a time it wears away and fails to function satisfactorily. To facilitate this the cork is provided with the aforementioned radial slot means 60 which functions in a self-evident manner. Then too the rubber or equivalent disk 16 of the closure means l4 maintains constant pressure against the base or lower end of the tubing or sleeve so as to force the slits 20 to stay closed and to maintain the desired close fit for the looped ends of the snell leaders.

lt is evident that the device as shown and described is multipurpose in character and well serves the purposes for which it has been devised and successfully used. Accordingly, a more extended description is believed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A multipurpose caddy for use by an angler comprising sleeve means embodying a first elongated main sleeve having upper and lower openable and closable ends, a manually attachable and detachable closure carried by and covering and normally closing said lower end, a second open-ended sleeve aligned with and having an inward end portion telescopingly receiving and connected with the coacting upper end of said first sleeve and serving as a manually applicable and removable closure for said upper end, the hollow portion of said first sleeve providing a lure receiving, storing and safeguarding container and being equipped with means including said attachable and detachable closure for supporting and safely storing readily accessible snelled hooks, said second sleeve being provided with complemental buoyant means for the attachment and retention of a plurality of loose fishhooks which areaccessibly held in readiness for selective use, said first sleeve being of a length appreciably greater than the length of the second sleeve, and means carried by and enclosed within the hollow portions of the respective sleeves for separably joining and connecting the sleeves to each other in a manner that said sleeve means functions as an easy-to-carry entity, said joining and connecting means embodying an elongated yoke carried by said second sleeve, said yoke depending into the hollow portion of said first sleeve, and elastic means confined in said last named hollow portion and normally under tension and having one end connected to an adjacent end of said yoke and its other end connected to the closure which is carried by the lower end of said first sleeve.

2. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 1, andwherein said first sleeve is provided on a median exterior surface with means, a safety-pin for example, whereby the over-all caddy can be detachably fastened to the anglers clothing for carrying and readily accessible use.

3. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said sleeve means, when the first and second sleeves are united in telescoping buoyant relationship, is amply buoyant that if the caddy is accidentally dropped overboard, it will float for a time sufficient for safe retrieval.

4. The multipurpose caddy defined in and accordingto claim 1, and wherein said second sleeve is interiorly provided with a fixeddivider to which said yoke is connected and is also provided with an attached cork, said cork providing the aforementioned means to which said loose fishhooks are accessibly connectible.

5. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 6, and, in combination, an elongated rod having a median portion passing through but frictionally mounted in said divider, said rod having a freely accessible and grippable upper end provided with a finger ring and a lower end depending into the hollow portion of said first sleeve and providing enclosed suspension hooks for said lure.

6. A multipurpose caddy for use by an angler comprising, in combination, a hollow elongated transparent first sleeve having readily accessible manually actuatable means on an exterior median portion for temporarily attaching the sleeves to the anglers clothing and having upper and lower ends, a manually attachable and detachable closure for the lower end, said closure comprising a rubber disk provided on an upper side with a stopper-like plug, said plug being retentively plugged into the lower end of the sleeve, the disk being of a diameter greater than the exterior diameter of the sleeve and providing an outstanding flexible and resilient rim, said rim abutting the lower end of said sleeve and being provided with a plurality of radial circumferentially spaced outwardly opening slits, said slits adapted to selectively receive and retain leaders on snelled hooks, the upper end of said first sleeve being open and provided with readily accessible upwardly opening circumferentially spaced keeper slots, said slots being adapted to accommodate and retentively but releasably receive hooks on associated snells, the hollow portion of said sleeve providing an unobstructed container, a second sleeve shorter than the first sleeve upper open end, being exposed and serving as a holder I for barbed ends of a plurality of individual fishhooks.

7. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 8 and wherein said disk is provided with an attached and depending U-shaped yoke, said yoke extending down into the hollow portion of said first sleeve, an elastic band having an end connected with the bight portion of said yoke and having a lower end portion connected with the aforementioned rubber closing disk.

8. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 8 and wherein said divider disk is provided with an attached and depending U-shaped yoke, said yoke extending down into the hollow portion of said first sleeve, an elastic band having an end connected with the bight portion of said yoke and having a lower end portion connected with the aforementioned rubber closing disk, and a rod having a median portion attached tosaid divider disk, having an upper end provided with an accessible finger ring and having a lower end provided with integral hooks located in the upper hollow portion of said first sleeve and servin as hangers for co-actmg fishhooks on an inserta le and removable fishing plug. 

1. A multipurpose caddy for use by an angler comprising sleeve means embodying a first elongated main sleeve having upper and lower openable and closable ends, a manually attachable and detachable closure carried by and covering and normally closing said lower end, a second open-ended sleeve aligned with and having an inward end portion telescopingly receiving and connected with the coacting upper end of said first sleeve and serving as a manually applicable and removable closure for said upper end, the hollow portion of said first sleeve providing a lure receiving, storing and safeguarding container and being equipped with means including said attachable and detachable closure for supporting and safely storing readily accessible snelled hooks, said second sleeve being provided with complemental buoyant means for the attachment and retention of a plurality of loose fish-hooks which are accessibly held in readiness for selective use, said first sleeve being of a length appreciably greater than the length of the second sleeve, and means carried by and enclosed within the hollow portions of the respective sleeves for separably joining and connecting the sleeves to each other in a manner that said sleeve means functions as an easy-to-carry entity, said joining and connecting means embodying an elongated yoke carried by said second sleeve, said yoke depending into the hollow portion of said first sleeve, and elastic means confined in said last named hollow portion and normally under tension and having one end connected to an adjacent end of said yoke and its other end connected to the closure which is carried by the lower end of said first sleeve.
 1. A multipurpose caddy for use by an angler comprising sleeve means embodying a first elongated main sleeve having upper and lower openable and closable ends, a manually attachable and detachable closure carried by and covering and normally closing said lower end, a second open-ended sleeve aligned with and having an inward end portion telescopingly receiving and connected with the coacting upper end of said first sleeve and serving as a manually applicable and removable closure for said upper end, the hollow portion of said first sleeve providing a lure receiving, storing and safeguarding container and being equipped with means including said attachable and detachable closure for supporting and safely storing readily accessible snelled hooks, said second sleeve being provided with complemental buoyant means for the attachment and retention of a plurality of loose fish-hooks which are accessibly held in readiness for selective use, said first sleeve being of a length appreciably greater than the length of the second sleeve, and means carried by and enclosed within the hollow portions of the respective sleeves for separably joining and connecting the sleeves to each other in a manner that said sleeve means functions as an easy-to-carry entity, said joining and connecting means embodying an elongated yoke carried by said second sleeve, said yoke depending into the hollow portion of said first sleeve, and elastic means confined in said last named hollow portion and normally under tension and having one end connected to an adjacent end of said yoke and its other end connected to the closure which is carried by the lower end of said first sleeve.
 2. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said first sleeve is provided on a median exterior surface with means, a safety-pin for example, whereby the over-all caddy can be detachably fastened to the angler''s clothing for carrying and readily accessible use.
 3. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said sleeve means, when the first and second sleeves are united in telescoping buoyant relationship, is amply buoyant that if the caddy is accidentally dropped overboard, it will float for a time sufficient for safe retrieval.
 4. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said second sleeve is interiorly provided with a fixed divider to which said yoke is connected and is also provided with an attached cork, said cork providing the aforementioned means to which said loose fishhooks are accessibly connectible.
 5. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 6, and, in combination, an elongated rod having a median portion passing through but frictionally mounted in said divider, said rod having a freely accessible and grippable upper end provided with a finger ring and a lower end depending into the hollow portion of said first sleeve and providing enclosed suspension hooks for said lure.
 6. A multipurpose caddy for use by an angler comprising, in combination, a hollow elongated transparent first sleeve having readily accessible manually actuatable means on an exterior median portion for temporarily attaching the sleeves to the angler''s clothing and having upper and lower ends, a manually attachable and detachable closure for the lower end, said closure comprising a rubber disk provided on an upper side with a stopper-like plug, said plug being retentively plugged into tHe lower end of the sleeve, the disk being of a diameter greater than the exterior diameter of the sleeve and providing an outstanding flexible and resilient rim, said rim abutting the lower end of said sleeve and being provided with a plurality of radial circumferentially spaced outwardly opening slits, said slits adapted to selectively receive and retain leaders on snelled hooks, the upper end of said first sleeve being open and provided with readily accessible upwardly opening circumferentially spaced keeper slots, said slots being adapted to accommodate and retentively but releasably receive hooks on associated snells, the hollow portion of said sleeve providing an unobstructed container, a second sleeve shorter than the first sleeve and having a lower cylindrical imperforate end fitting telescopingly and frictionally over and substantially encompassing the slotted upper end of the first sleeve, said short sleeve having upper and lower open ends and being provided on its median interior portion with a frictionally anchored divider disk, a cork fitted telescopingly into the upper portion of the second sleeve, said cork abutting said divider disk and having an upper portion projecting through and above the upper open end, being exposed and serving as a holder for barbed ends of a plurality of individual fishhooks.
 7. The multipurpose caddy defined in and according to claim 8 and wherein said disk is provided with an attached and depending U-shaped yoke, said yoke extending down into the hollow portion of said first sleeve, an elastic band having an end connected with the bight portion of said yoke and having a lower end portion connected with the aforementioned rubber closing disk. 